Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during a closed-door meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, asked Washington to provide Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles capable of striking targets in Moscow, reports Baltimore Chronicle citing The Telegraph.
According to the British outlet, Zelensky stressed that the supply of such advanced weaponry could become a decisive factor in pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin to enter negotiations on a possible peace settlement.
Several sources confirmed to the newspaper that the request was voiced during the bilateral talks in New York, which were described as highly positive by participants and diplomatic observers.
In an interview following the meeting, Zelensky said that Donald Trump responded favorably to his appeal for long-range cruise missiles. The Ukrainian leader emphasized that possession of Tomahawks would not necessarily mean their use, but the very possibility of having such weapons could significantly increase pressure on Putin and push him to the negotiating table.
Diplomatic sources also revealed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told European counterparts that the shift in Trump’s tone toward Ukraine should be regarded as “as positive as possible.” Rubio reportedly added that the American president was “very angry” with Putin for ignoring Washington’s efforts to end the three-year war.
At the same time, The Telegraph underlined that it remains unclear whether Zelensky’s attempts to secure Tomahawk missiles from the United States will be successful.
Earlier we wrote that Sergey Lavrov accuses NATO and EU of direct involvement in Ukraine conflict.
